David Gillespie does not push an agenda – his intention was to look at the evidence and make an informed choice as a parent. He is a former corporate lawyer, co-founder of a software company and consultant to the IT industry. He lives in Brisbane with his wife and six children.

Free Schools cuts through the marketing spin and the school reputation wars to do the following:

explain the history and funding of our three school systems – public, Catholic and independent

review Australian and OECD country research on what really delivers better education outcomes

highlight what parents can do to set their child up for success

identifies the two core things that REALLY matter in a school – leadership and teachers

and lists another 11 things that great schools will have.

Its key finding is there is no correlation between how much you pay and the quality of education.

Free Schools is easy to read and will challenge many parents’ beliefs and perceptions of what they thought ‘matters’. The book is based on research – looking at the many studies on different educational elements and it acknowledges the quality or limitations of those studies. It narrows down the findings to the crux of what makes a difference in education.

It provides insight into both what parents can do to choose the best education for their child, as well as consider how that decision will contribute to the improvement of all children and Australian society.

Whilst David Gillespie bashes teacher unions just a little too much for my taste (although I do recognise that their interests can conflict with the best interests for the system and educational outcomes for all) I found the book to be very useful.

It was practical and informative to me, as I have three children with my oldest starting high school in 2015.

Free Schools has attracted media attention and created discussion in some circles. I thought it important that parents go beyond the headlines or reactions to one element of the book and consider the totality of what David Gillespie is trying to do.

To encourage more parents to consider this information I decided to write up a summary – a kind of Cliff Notes. Quotes come straight from the book – the rest is my summary. For those of you interested in reading the book in full, check out your nearest book store or download a copy here.

Australian does not have three education systems.

We are the only OECD country that funds three different brands of government school but pretends two of them are private.

In short, the private system is not private. It is significantly funded by taxpayers. Public funding of private schools is relatively new – starting in the 1960’s and accelerating in recent years. This shift has ‘profoundly altered the outcomes for all our students and not in a good way’.

Interestingly, students who attend private schools do not necessarily get better education outcomes.

They may get nicer buildings or facilities, a ‘better class’ of friends and can reinforce the belief of their parents they are giving them the ‘best’. But not better education outcomes.

And don’t buy the myth that choosing private education saves the taxpayer money – it doesn’t.

What doesn’t matter – blowing up some strongly held myths about ‘good’ schools

The following is a list of things that DO NOT deliver better education outcomes for students.

There is no advantage in education outcomes when it comes to:

private vs. public schools

mixed vs. same sex schools

size of school

class size

composite or multi-age classes

streaming or tracking students according to ability

teachers with post-graduate qualifications

teaching experience, except for those with less than 3 years in the job (see page 3)

In terms of private schools there is no advantage in education outcomes when it comes to:

how much you pay

whether it is a religious school or not.

Many people might want to argue any of the points above because of their own experience, the ‘spin’ of education conversation, anecdotal evidence, and the parent peer group pressure when it comes to discussing schools and one’s own precious child.

However study after study has shown that the things listed above do not ‘shift the needle’ to deliver better academic results. In Free Schools each point is laid out in detail with supporting evidence.

So what does matter?

First and foremost YOU

High expectations consistently deliver high results. Parents who expect a lot from their kids invariably create kids who expect a lot from themselves.

The biggest indicator of whether a child will succeed in school is actually a game of chance – the parent lottery of who they get.

If you are bothering to read this then your child is already significantly advantaged – you care about their education. So give yourself (and/or your partner) a pat on the back if you:

believe in education as a method to self-improvement and pathway to success

set the standard that doing your best in school matters

have completed Year 12 and tertiary studies

are economically comfortable and/or have a degree of financial ‘choice’

have high expectations of your child and yourself

If you answer yes to any or all of the above – congratulations – your kid is already a winner!

If parents have high academic expectations for the child and have the skills to help them attain those goals, then the child will perform much better than if they have parents that don’t.

In turn parents with high expectations develop children with high expectations.

Students who have high expectations of themselves are capable of managing their own time and are motivated to do it.

What shouldn’t you worry about?

Here are two things that plenty of parents worry about, and industries have established to service and profit from that anxiety.

‘Hot housing’ pre-schoolers – babies, toddlers and young children do not need to do flash cards, education videos, leap pads or other expensive education toys. Do it for fun but don’t stress if you don’t. These things won’t change education outcomes or give them a leg up for school.

Private tutoring – countless studies show that these won’t produce any better outcomes than what they were going to get anyway. They may help them rote learn for exams, or prepare them for the OC or selective test (which may give the 3% difference that gets them in) but it won’t help them stay there or flourish.

The bottom line is hot housing and tutoring won’t deliver a significant effect.

The two critical things that matter in ANY school

Teachers

If I wanted to teach you something, whether you learnt it or not would depend on just one thing: my ability to teach.

The job of a good teacher is to accelerate and guide our innate learning. Good teachers can eliminate disadvantage.

Humans are natural learners – it is how we develop. Education and teaching should nurture this pattern of self-learning and provide the environment, tools and challenges for student to extend themselves far beyond what they could do on their own.

Teachers that are passionate about teaching, about learning themselves AND about learning about teaching is what is most important. Teaching qualifications and time in the profession doesn’t matter provided they have a passion and commitment to improve how they teach and add value to student learning .

The only caveat is with teachers who have less than three years experience. Those teachers need to be in an environment where there is mentoring of them, feedback and support – not left alone for deep end learning.

The best education systems that produce the best student outcomes have a focus on teacher development throughout their teaching career and intensely when they enter the profession. Professional development of teachers is not just one-off courses or doing post-graduate study. It is best done as both informal and formal program within the teaching environment, within schools and in the pursuit of teaching excellence.

Leadership: namely Principals but also the leadership team of a school

It is the School Principal and their leadership team that will have the biggest influence on a school.

It doesn’t matter if that school is in a small regional town or a bustling outer urban area. The school leaders who have the most positive effect on student outcomes take an instructional leadership approach. This approach has five elements:

Implementing a hard-core teacher improvement agenda

Closely monitoring teacher performance

Hiring the right teaching staff

Maintaining peace and order

Setting goals and expectations

A leader like that will not only be actively working to ensure the school has effective teachers, they’ll be trying to make them even more effective.

David Gillespie boils down the measurement of a principal to one key question:

How do they manage their teaching staff?

A good leader will answer that they don’t have a magic solution. They do the best with what they have [teachers and students] and they have a plan for incremental improvement.

For parents this means the principal can:

articulate that plan

outline the objectives the school and teachers have set

demonstrate how that is being tracked, measured, evaluated and plans adjusted

be transparent about the process

explain how they mentor staff and improve teaching methods

ensure student performance data is used to monitor every child and provide feedback to teachers

talk about how they select and retain their good teaching staff (where they have opportunity to do so).

A checklist to assess a school

A good school has…. effective teachers and leaders

The two critical things

Questions to ask – things to consider

1. Teachers

Is there a monitoring program of students that informs teacher performance and planning

What informal/formal mentoring system is in place focussed on improving teacher performance?

How are new teachers mentored/developed?

(If a high school) What student feedback is conducted on their experience with teacher effectiveness?

How do teachers ‘teach to student’ so that all students are challenged despite various abilities in a single class?

Is there a culture of high expectations of both teachers and their students?

2. Principals and/or school leadership team

What is their leadership approach?

Do they have high expectations of both teachers and their students?

Do they have a plan for continuous improvement?

Can they articulate it?

Does it involve real measurement of student performance? What are the KPI’s and is there a plan to address underperformance?

What is their approach to improving teacher effectiveness? Is that linked to student outcomes?

What is their personal track record? Don’t just look at the school they are in – which schools did they come from, what improvements did they oversee in education outcomes. This point is especially important for Principals new or less than 2 years in a school.

The most telling element of the above is how teachers and leaders shift or add education value to lower SES, disadvantaged or lowest quartile of students. If they have done this in their previous school and have plan in place for their current school – then this is a sign of a very good leader and a good school.

A great school has … up to 11 things that make a real difference to education outcomes

11 other things

Questions to ask – things to consider

1. Learning to learn

If students are taught the most effective ways to learn – they can drive a lot of their own learning and it sets them up for life.

How does the school teach and embed learning skills in students?

Do they teach study skills, planning skills, research skills, goal-setting and how to self-evaluate?

Do they require discipline to embed strong learning habits from the earliest stage and is this reinforced?

Does the school foster a ‘love of learning’ culture from the principal down to the student body?

2. Extracurricular activities – especially music

Music is very important. The good news is it doesn’t matter the type, how much or the level of music studied. Any learning and participation that engages students in music results in better educational outcomes.

Does the school offer music programs for all abilities?

Is music integrated into the standard curriculum program or do you have to choose it as an elective or additional component for your child?

Other activities that encourage participation, allow kids to learn new things and take risks in a safe environment and set high expectations for trying add value to education outcomes. On top of music if could be sport, drama, visual arts, community involvement or leadership activities. Schools don’t have to provide everything just some of the above.

And DO check if it is participation that is valued more than competitiveness. Some schools – either due to size or desire for success – may limit participation through auditions, tryouts or minimum levels to be included in some activities.

3. Languages other than English – applies from K-12

Learning a language – no matter what language and to what intensity – improves results in other curriculun areas, especially maths. So any school that includes language as part of its core curriculum will give your child a leg up. Once again good news – they don’t need to be good at it. For whatever reason the learning of language other than one’s native tongue helps improve a child’s other curriculum areas. For a sustained benefit the research shows it is best if the language instruction starts early and keeps going. Note – this does not have to be the same language.

4. Effective use of technology

Technology is a tool – short and simple. Technology should not be used to replace teachers. Schools that use technology to supplement classroom teaching AND provide students opportunities to practice and receive individual feedback produce the best education outcomes.

Schools that adopt things like Mathletics and Into Science which allow kids to drill and practice, self-pace, reinforce curriculum and classroom activities, cement foundation knowledge and extend learning are great.

Effective teachers and schools use technology to support what they are doing. Children do not need their own computer. In fact using computers in pairs produces optimum learning outcomes.

How does the school use computers? What access do students get to IT?

What is done at school and what is done at home?

How is technology used to monitor student progress and how are parents and teachers informed of this?

What software programs does the school use and in which curriculum areas?

11 other things

Questions to ask – things to consider

5. Effective behaviour management

One of the clearest signs of an effective teacher is how they control disruptive behaviour in a classroom. A school with teachers who set high standards for student behaviour, which is reinforced and supported by parents at home, produces the best results.

Research shows that the most effective way a school can manage disruptive behaviour is with credible punishment combined with positive reinforcement. What is credible punishment for students? Telling their parents!

If a school is communicating with parents when a student doesn’t
meet behaviour standards and the parent and school show a united front to the student then behaviour patterns shift.

Given that schools contain active children from diverse backgrounds, that ratios of adults to students is usually quite high and that in high schools you are dealing with teenagers there is always going to be behaviour issues. So what do you want the school to have in place to best address this constant issue?

A behaviour management plan

The plan does not involve reasoning with disruptive children

Includes an element of punishment and an element of positive reinforcement

It escalates quickly to involve parents when necessary

6. Homework policy – where it matters

Many, many, many studies show that homework or no homework does not really impact educational outcomes for children – except for the higher school years.

So it is not about whether the school requires homework it is about what that homework is and how it is conducted.

Parent involvement in homework is actually the biggest contributor to improving student outcomes. This is NOT parents doing the homework. It essentially boils down to parents demonstrating a serious interest in their child’s education, reinforces high expectations, shows that you care about your child and their school work.

Excessive homework in primary and junior high school years is not a good thing and doesn’t make a difference. In higher school years, if there is a foundation of ‘learning to learn’ skills and allowing kids to practice and drill the learning areas they are studying it will positively impact their academic performance.

7. Effective parent communication

This is a very important area that schools are not always known for. So what makes the communication effective? Direct and regular communication with parents – beyond the meet the teacher sessions and biannual school reports.

This needs to be more than the email/call/meet me ‘anytime you are concerned about your child’. It has to be a communication program that can engage all parents and see them as part of the learning community.

How do schools let you know what is being taught and why?

How do they keep parents in the loop of teaching as it is occurring – so you can reinforce it at home?

Is the homework program explained to parents so they can supervise and support their child to reinforce classroom learning?

What resources do they provide to parents to assist them support their children?

11 other things

Questions to ask – things to consider

11 other things

As involving parents in a child’s learning produces much better results schools need to give parents the resources/guidelines to help them understand what is being taught. Many parents haven’t studied since their time in school or lack confidence (especially in science or maths subjects), which can prevent them, getting involved. There are lots of online resources now that can help (i.e. The Khan Academy).

A school that invests in supporting parents to better support their kids is a great school.

8. Primary schools that use phonics approach to literacy

Learning to read by the phonics methods has been proved hands down to be THE most effective method. As literacy is the building block for the rest of our school learning it is critical the program your school offer is phonics based. Note: the hugely popular ABC Reading Eggs is phonics based.

9. Avoid streaming according to academic ability

Tracking or streaming kids according to ability does not improve their educational outcomes. In fact it can have a negative effect – especially for those who are tracked at a lower ability as it sends a message of low expectations. It can also reinforce inequities, polarise the student body and impact negatively on school spirit.

David says it best “When you take into account that is delivers absolutely no academic benefit (for anybody), it seems a big price to pay for parental bragging rights (or making some teacher’s lives a bit easier).”

10. However ‘acceleration’ is good

HOWEVER schools and teachers that ‘teach to student’ are effective.

Meaning if you have a gifted and talented child, or a student that is exceptional at a particular subject then accelerating their learning is a very good thing. That doesn’t need to be in a selective school or a streamed subject. Good schools and effective teachers can teach students of varying abilities within the same class. Acceleration means that students can be paced at a greater speed through the curriculum. They could be assigned in subjects to higher year levels. Gifted kids that get accelerated through the curriculum outperform streamed/selective kids. And in case you’re worried about the ‘social’ effects, research shows there is no downside. It does not harm younger children being accelerated through higher grades or subjects in their social or interpersonal development.

The question for the school is:

How does this school ‘teach to student’ so individual learning needs are met?

How do they extend and challenge children that do well overall or in subjects?

Can students that are gifted be accelerated?

11. Caters for special needs if you need them

Finally if you child has special needs then you need to investigate how the school will meet those needs and support your child’s learning. If you are that parent you are better placed then I to list the questions you need answered.

For parents with children NOT requiring special needs but concerned a school has children with special needs mixed in with your child know this:

The research shows that there are many benefits of a school that includes children with disabilities and diverse background especially improving the social skills of all children. Provided that teachers are appropriately trained and resourced there is no negative effects on your child’s academic performance.

What else? What can you do?

When all children reach their potential, the academic performance of a nation as a whole improves. A rising tide raises all boats.

I’d encourage you to take a look at the schools in your area. You’d be surprised how many local schools – including comprehensive public schools – have all or some of the above.

If your school isn’t measuring up think long and hard before moving schools – the research shows it has a big impact and can significantly impair performance.

So if you don’t have the perfect school what can you do? The best thing is to get involved. The parent community can have a big impact – from an individual, to a small group, to the P&C.

Make it clear that you expect the school to deliver on strong leadership with a plan to create and maintain effective teaching and address the 11 other factors that makes a good school great.

Start with demanding better parent communication and engagement. Through this process you will learn a lot about your schools ability to change, its expectations, its leadership, what it teaches and how it teaches.

This is not someone else’s responsibility – this is all parents’ responsibility to demand better for our schools and our taxpayer funded education systems.

My husband and I truly believe our kids are precious, special and deserve a great education BUT so does every other child. I’m not prepared to have mine benefit at the expense of others. Unfortunately our current system encourages this. I am a passionate advocate of public education and I am prepared to put my kids where my advocacy is. Not at their expense but for their benefit.

I respect other parents’ choices. I do want better transparency and honesty about why choices are made.

I do not want the concept of ‘choice’ to mask other underlying motivations or reinforce inaccurate perceptions of what makes a good school.

I also want recognition that individual choices that parents make can help or hinder the quality of our education system as a whole.

If we want Australia to perform better internationally – and all our systems have been failing over recent years – then each and everyone one of us need to do our bit.

I expect a lot from you – you can do the same for me.

I hope this helps,

Carla Stacey

Parent of three primary school kids and an education enthusiast with high expectations of everyone

A final word on My School website and NAPLAN results

The My School website is a mine of lies, damned lies and statistics dressed up as information every parent should know. It purports to tell parents which schools are performing and which schools aren’t using a neat little colour-coding system. And while there’s very useful information buried in the pile of steaming data, its not obvious and it’s not where you might think it is.

In Free Schools there is a detailed section on how to use the myschool website in an effective way that tells you something. I won’t go into it much here but recommend you read this section if that is what you are relying on to compare schools.

In short:

do NOT compare two schools by comparing their average performance of NAPLAN – to compare like for like you need to compare ‘similar’ schools – otherwise the results tell you nothing real

do not use ‘league’ tables it is completely misleading about judging a school’s success.

How to find schools with effective teachers using My School? Use the ‘Student gain’ item under the NAPLAN menu. This will show where the school has added value to the student cohort they got – beyond what the students would be expected to do. In other words, how the teaching at the school accelerated their students learning.

This must also be considered in context. It will always be historic data – not current data. So if the school has recently changed leadership (Principal) or has introduced a new monitoring program to improve teacher effectiveness and student outcomes then that school will be implementing changes your child will benefit from and this won’t show up in NAPLAN data for another 12-24 months.

Schools should be judged on what they do with what they get. Not what kind of student, parent or class of people they attract.

Many schools unfairly benefit on performance judgements simply because of the nature of the student body they recruit or attract. You can assess their marketing skill by who attends does but not how effective they are at teaching.

One of the telling things about reviewing the research is that those schools that are, or can be, selective on the students they accept are actually not performing to a level their talented student body shows promise for.

So use the My School information with caution and use the checklist of the two critical items and the 11 additional items as you main assessment tool against considering schools.

There is one more thing can’t you control – your child’s IQ

A child’s IQ is another significant indicator of their capacity for academic success.

Over the weekend I replenished my ‘Present Box’. I remember hearing about Present Boxes before I became a mum and thinking such people were completely bonkers.

And now I’m one of them.

I like to think of myself as a thoughtful shopper. I love the idea of spending hours thinking about presents for the special people in my life; their habits and personal style or something they might really need at the moment.

Given that consumer goods are so cheap these days, many more people simply buy what they want when they recognise a need, hence the popularity of ‘experience presents’ and vouchers for services like a massage. (I always think such vouchers need to come in pairs; here’s a voucher and here’s some time in your diary to have it!).

Friends will be pleased to hear that it’s not as thoughtless as it sounds. Rather than (as I had imagined) a set of generic ‘adult female’ type presents, if I see something you might like now, I buy it immediately and have it ready for your birthday. Last Christmas was my easiest Christmas ever.

There are some more generic style presents in my Present Box, like things for newborns and new mamas, as as well as presents for Four Year Old Girls. Simply because those invitations to parties from day care can sometimes stay in the bottom of the bag until the day before!

I also really hate trying to rush in shopping malls. In fact I hate entering a shopping mall and the Present Box has helped.

Here’s my system for how it has simplified my online shopping.

1. Create a ‘shopping’ folder on your favourites on your browser. Then if you find a good site you can start browsing on sites you’ve already enjoyed previously.

2. Once you’ve found a few sites and browsed them a little, set yourself up for a session with credit card and calendar handy. While most Australian sites I’ve used deliver within a week, I like to prepare a couple of months ahead.

3. Working through birthdays and other celebrations I simply shop online as I would in a mall, working through my priorities, leaving a tab open if I am unsure about something and moving onto my next choice. This is a good thing to do if you’re considering several purchases from the same store. It not only saves on delivery costs but makes receipt of packages a lot easier too.

4. I also keep all of those annoying emails that you get when you join any kind of loyalty program in one email folder. I then scan it for ideas when I am looking for something in particular; reminded of brands and stores I have frequented in real life.

5. Once I’m finished, I then check my stocks of wrapping paper and cards to check that they cover the same time period I’ve just shopped for. Nothing like realizing you’ve left out something important at the last minute. You could do the fancy personalized photo card if you’re really keen, but I find most people are happy with something drawn by the kids or one of those cheaper ones from places like Big W.

6. For my recent Present Box replenishment, I used My Favourite. I’ve found on previous occasions that their delivery is very quick and the products are made of high quality materials. (Not sponsored, I just like them)

7. I’ve also started to keep a Christmas List around this time of year, mostly to keep track of what I have bought and who is left. Last year I was pleasantly surprised to discover most people had been covered off through ‘incidental shopping’ through the year.

Do you have a Present Box? Do you think people who keep them are thoughtless – or a little bit mad?

It’s a manic time. Some of it is fun. Lots of it is high pressure. And sometimes you just creep through to Christmas completely exhausted and in need of drying out and a meal at home.

I once realised on December 19 that I’d attended so many Christmas functions that I hadn’t eaten a meal with a knife and fork for about three weeks. I’d survived entirely on meals consisting of hors d’ouevres and champagne.

Those were the days.

Today, planning during December is a precision event. When’s your work do? And the larger team function? Oh yes and the one you’ve been invited to at your old work? And then there’s the mothers group Christmas, a family function or two, and December is gone. Without even mentioning your kid’s social commitments and school graduation ceremonies.

For working mums, you can feel particularly stretched because the Christmas function may not be held on your work day, and you want to do the things stay at home mums do too. If Santa visits your day care centre, is it on a day your child usually attends? It’s a lot to organise.

Here are some tips to help you survive the silly season.

1. Book some babysitting now. If you haven’t already, stop reading and call your babysitter. And your back up babysitter. The last Friday in December is in high demand. Call today. You will use that free night for something, I promise.

2. Work out between you and your partner/hubby/babysitter which events are REALLY important. Do you mind if you miss your Christmas function? Some people don’t, and getting sleep and proper meals is more important. It’s ok to admit this but if you do love a night out with your colleagues, schedule it in.

3. Schedule in all the other crazy stuff too. Like a night at home online to complete your gift purchases. That time doesn’t happen automatically. If you send Christmas cards, or a Christmas email, schedule it in too. Do you need your eyebrows waxed? Make an appointment now. If it’s booked up with Christmas parties for you and your kids, it won’t happen – or it will happen at midnight on some evening in mid-December. Stressful for everyone.

4. Remember all the stuff that makes your life work every other month of the year. Exercise. Meal planning. Catching up on Glee. It’s all still a good idea.

5. Notwithstanding point 4, give yourself a break. Sometimes doing everything just isn’t possible. Can’t prepare something from scratch for the mother’s group Christmas party? Stop in at your local bakery instead. Shortcuts are ok and an essential way of protecting your mental health – as important this month as ever.

Your December calendar might look a bit crazy. My husband and I send appointment requests to each other’s work diaries when we need to book a night out. Clashes get discussed in the evenings to sort our priorities. Apologies for the nights we just can’t get babysitting are made as early as we can admit we just won’t make it.

It’s never a perfect system, but it helps us manage the insanity just a little bit!

Legislation to establish a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has been introduced to federal parliament.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has taken the first legislative step towards establishing a National Disability Insurance Scheme on parliament’s final sitting day for the year.

Ms Gillard described the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill 2012 as complex legislation with a simple moral insight at its heart.

“This bill will inscribe in our laws a substantial and enduring reform that will fundamentally change the nature of disability care and support in this nation,” she told parliament on Thursday.

“It will bring an end to the tragedy of services denied or delayed.”

The insurance scheme was ambitious but needed to be, to help more than 400,000 people living with significant and permanent disabilities.

“The nation is being robbed of the human and economic potential of people living with disability and the contribution they can make to our shared future,” Ms Gillard said.

The government intends to send the bill to a Senate committee for detailed consideration.

There will be public consultation on regulations accompanying the scheme.

Regular readers of Working Mums Australia will know I am a strong supporter of this scheme. I think everyone is better off, and our community much stronger, when we protect those in our community who need a little help. I organised a morning tea with my mother’s group to show our support.

Whether a woman is judged to be a ‘good’ or a ‘bad’ mum is often based on a range of factors – from how much independence and discipline they give their children, to their own physical appearance in the playground

I think a good mum is one who ensures her child’s physical needs are met, does her utmost to keep them from physical and emotional harm and makes sure they know they are loved – by her and others around them.

Note there is no mention of organic food, breastfeeding, co-sleeping or music lessons. I think all of that is simply extraneous and you can be a great mum regardless of your options and choices in these areas.

Mums to be expect to enjoy a glowing pregnancy but the reality is fatigue, information overload and a sagging sex life, according to this report from Lisa Power in the Daily Telegraph today

Ladies, wait til that kid gets born!

According to the report, 60% said fatigure was the hardest to deal with.

I can’t imagine what the other 40% said.

My theory is that pregnancy fatigue is nature’s way of getting you ready for months, perhaps years, of sleep deprivation. I suspect if you went straight from your pre-baby life into the reality of life with a newborn, there would be even more post-natal depression around than there is now.

Today’s guest post is from Anna Minns, who runs the Daily Lime. You can find out more about her amazing efforts to protect our environment, and sign up to her easy to follow tips here.

As a mum of 2 small boys I often wonder (and worry) about what kind of natural environment they will inherit. I wanted to know more about the kind of things I could and should do to be kinder to the environment.

At first I was totally overwhelmed with information about global warming and climate change, which was sobering and depressing – I started to think that perhaps ignorance was bliss.

I found this was the experience of a lot of my friends. When I started to talk about the environment I noticed their eyes would glaze over, and they would shrug their shoulders and say “what can I do about it anyway”. So, I decided to do some research and I discovered there are hundreds of things we can all do everyday to tread a bit more lightly on the planet.

In order to be “green” there is a perception that you must have cold showers, a diet of tofu and quinoa, wear hessian clothes and live in a house made of recycled tyres.

So I set about putting together a list of ‘tips’ of all the things that anyone can do to have a greener lifestyle, without sacrificing the things that they love. I wanted to create a simple guide for (mums especially) who are busy with work, family and just living, to make small incremental changes that are easy, money-saving and fun!

The tips are about reducing energy and waste, reusing, recycling and all things green. I hope you are inspired to subscribe and give some of them a go!

Don’t you hate it when your discover an adorable jumpsuit in the bottom drawer that you’d forgotten about and now it’s too late, because your little one is now not so little! Do the sustainable thing – and get swapping! You can keep your children’s wardrobes fresh and funky as your babies grow by trading your quality pre-loved clothes online – or you can purchase designer label gear at a fraction of the retail cost.

Sometimes, when you’ve got little kids, it seems like you might drown under a sea of brightly-coloured plastic toys. And despite the best of intentions, those plastic toys appear to breed. But there is a way to reduce the amount of fluro-plastic in your life, save money, and save on landfill, too!

It is estimated that 30 to 40kg of clothing per person is sent to landfill each year because of so called ‘fast fashion’. We all need a comfy coat to get us through the winter months. Selecting quality over quantity is the way to go to take a load off the earth. If you invest in a well-made coat now it will last you for years to come, so you will be saving money in the long run.

The average household in Australia with kids has over 100 toys. Do you suffer from regular toy invasions? An annual toy swap can be great fun, reduce the use of resources, and free up your hard-earned cash and storage space!

The average power drill is used for 12-13 minutes in its lifetime! Stuff. It’s everywhere. Filling up our cupboards, our garages, under our beds, even in our roof spaces. And most of it is hardly ever used. The best way to enjoy all the latest must-have gadgets, toys and tools and get the most value out of our own stuff is to get sharing through openshed.com.au

It’s hard to know what to do with our old mattresses, so most of us throw them out – they are the most common item put out at local council collections. But mattresses contain lots of valuable materials, like steel, timber and foam – which is all recyclable!

Many air ‘fresheners’ are actually air pollutants. Most contain nasty chemicals like phthalates and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). If you want to clean out the pollutants and toxins in the air and deodorise your home, get some house plants! Don’t just take my word for it – NASA found that they are great at filtering the air!